Thousands of young people in Japan haven't left their homes in months — here’s why

More than half a million young people in Japan have shunned
society and chosen to live isolated lives, according to a survey
released by the government.

The phenomenon, called “hikikomori”, is defined by the Japanese
Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry as people who have stayed in
their home for six months or more without going to school, work
or venturing out to socialize.

The survey found that 541,000 15 to 39-year-olds were living in
isolation. The figure is actually lower than was estimated in the
2010 Cabinet Office survey, when 696,000 were thought to be
suffering from hikikomori.

But those who withdraw are doing so for longer, according
to the study, as those who have shut themselves in their homes
for at least seven years accounted for 35 per cent of the total.
Another 29 per cent have lived as recluses for three to five
years,The Japan
Times reported.

There are more older recluses too - the number of those
aged between 35 and 39 has doubled in six years, according to the
survey.

Yet an accurate picture of who is suffering from hikikomori
is difficult to determine given the reclusive nature of those
suffering from it.

Having first emerged as a mass behaviour in the 1990s, the
condition is not yet classified as an official disorder and there
is no recommended treatment.

Doctors believe psychological and cultural influences
combine to make young people feel they need to withdraw
entirely.

The condition is far more common in men, who face huge
pressures to succeed early in life, both at
school and in their careers.

It is also more prevalent among the middle classes
– those who isolate themselves are often well
educated.

Sufferers of hikikomori often play video games or read
comics at home, rather than interacting with others.

But psychologists say this is not caused by
laziness.

Tamaki Saito, a Japanese psychologist has described living
with the condition as being “tormented in the mind”.

"They want to go out in the world, they want to make
friends or lovers, but they can't,”he told the BBC.

The phenomenon is not limited to Japan. One studyin 2015
found documented cases ofhikikomori-style social
reclusion the US, China, and Spain among other countries.